San Mateo Man Dies Paddleboarding at Lake Tahoe

By Bay City News Service — A San Mateo man died in a paddleboarding accident on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe last week, a Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman said Wednesday.

Kenneth Campo, 42, was part of a group that had rented paddleboards Friday around 3:45 p.m. at Sand Harbor State Park near Incline Village, Nev., department spokesman Ed Lyngar said.

He was about 250 yards offshore when he slipped off the board and began to struggle in the water, Lyngar said. He was already submerged by the time anyone could get to him, Lyngar said.

An employee of one of the paddleboard rental companies based onshore dived down 20 feet and retrieved Campo and brought him to shore. Paramedics were waiting there and brought him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, Lyngar said.

He had a life vest and a foot leash on the boat but was not using them, Lyngar said.

"Life jacket use on these devices is far too low," Lyngar said. Often tourists and recreational boaters "don't realize the inherent dangers."
 
An investigation is ongoing, but Lyngar said it appears that this was a "tragic accident."

According to news reports, Campo may have not been the person who rented the board and may have borrowed it from someone, so he would not have received a safety briefing on using the equipment.